Bernie

2011

US

1h 39min

12A

Directed by: Richard Linklater

Written by: Skip Hollandsworth, Richard Linklater

Cast: Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey

UK release: 26 April 2013

Based on a real-life 1996 murder in Texas. When violence mars the friendship of popular mortician Bernie Tiede (Black) and mean-tempered widow Marjorie Nugent (MacLaine), the neighbours' sympathies aren't with the victim. Black and MacLaine are well-cast but underused, and the faux-documentary style robs the film of immediacy.

Performance times

Reviews & features

We’re all familiar with the clear-cut outrage that follows a heinous crime perpetrated by a dark, twisted monster against a dewy innocent – but what if it’s the other way round? What if someone hugely popular does something terrible to someone widely…